I'm having trouble getting point-to-point fares for 4 days of travel in England (over 10 days) for 2 seniors. I want to compare the cost of buying tickets in England versus using a BritRail pass purchased before we leave; however, I don't understand about the senior pass being for First Class while a senior card for standard fares can be purchased in England. Can anyone advise me? Thank you!
Posted by
Bristol, UK
619 posts
The Senior Railcard in Britain can be used to get a 1/3rd discount off both First and Second class fares. Details are at http://www.senior-railcard.co.uk/. You do not need to have a railcard to buy tickets, but you must have the railcard with you when you travel. This means that you can buy tickets at the reduced price in advance, and then buy the railcard when you arrive in Britain. Note however that it is best to get your railcard at a quiet time of the day and not when there is a long line of impatient people behind you at the the ticket window. I have no idea how this compares with a BritRail pass.
Posted by
Leesburg, VA, USA
342 posts
Bob explained the Senior Railcard perfectly. Just go onto the national rail site and price tickets for the trips you're planning to take, either standard or first class, and be sure to indicate that you will have senior railcards (which will cost you £28 each). Once you have those prices and have figured in the cost of the senior railcards, then you can compare it to the price of the BritRail Pass that will cover your trips, again either standard or first class. Keep in mind, that if you're purchasing point-to-point tickets you're locked into a particular train and time; so if you need some flexibility the BritRail Pass may be worth any additional expense. My husband and I have done both on our various trips. PM me if I can be of further help. Mary
Posted by
OP
Waynesboro, Virginia, United States
7 posts
Bob and Mary, thanks so much for your replies and helpful information. Can you suggest a good web site to get complete schedule information for English trains? I'm particularly concerned about our arrival in Manchester at 8:40 AM. We will, of course, still have to pass through customs, yet the latest departure of the day I can find for a train from Manchester to Telford is something like 9:00 AM! Surely there must be something departing later in the day! Since we will both be jet-lagged, it would be very helpful if we could get our tickets in advance, but as we will need to purchase senior cards in England I think we will have to wait in line for tickets. I really appreciate your help! Susan
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33851 posts
National Rail Enquiries knows about all trains running in the UK. The website is easy to use. You will see that there are 2 connections to Telford Central each hour. At 11 past each hour you change at Crewe and Wolverhampton and it takes 1:48. If you miss that you can take the 35 past, changing in Manchester Piccadilly and Wolverhampton. It only get to Telford 8 minutes before the next xx:11 because it takes half an hour longer. There are connections until 10pm or so. The last fast one via Crewe is around 6pm. You haven't mentioned the date involved so I can't check for engineering works or weekend alterations. Where did you see that nothing went after the morning rush hour?